LAS VEGAS.- The first Super Bowl in Las Vegas It has everything an imaginary NFL screenwriter would have wanted.
On the one hand, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (without a list of favorites with their 14-6 record) in search of becoming the first team to repeat as champion in 19 years and who intend to endorse their dynasty status with a third Super Bowl title in five years.
On the other, the return of Brock Purdy after an injury and having been “Mr. Irrelevant” that now has the San Francisco 49ers on the brink of tying a record with a sixth Super Bowl title, putting his name alongside legendary quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young.
And of course, you can’t ignore all the glitz and glamor of the city and the irony of a Super Bowl being played in the betting mecca, something that used to be taboo in the NFL.
Has Taylor Swift been mentioned yet?
You have to open the doors for the pop superstar who will arrive in Las Vegas just in time to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s attempt to win another ring. Swift will travel to Sunday’s game at Allegiant Stadium from Japan after a concert on Saturday.
Kelce, the four-time All-Pro tight end, has sought to limit distractions despite numerous questions this week about Swift and their relationship that has captivated millions and attracted a new audience of football fans.
“You have to be thinking about the present and not so much about the future,” Kelce said. “You have to prepare for what you have in front of you, but not getting hung up on the past is the most important thing… I think we will never try to match what we did last year in this year. Every year has another story.”
For the Chiefs, nothing short of hoisting another Vince Lombardi trophy would be acceptable, so they put more pressure on them.
“That expectation has become a demand at this point,” Kelce acknowledged. “I am clear that the years in which we did not win since we won the first felt like the hardest defeats of my life. So it’s about maintaining the mentality each year, and knowing how to set your expectations, making sure that no one sets higher expectations than ourselves. We have come to win, there is no doubt about that.”
Mahomes, the two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP, has begun to be compared to Tom Brady, who collected seven Super Bowl rings. Brady won three in his first four seasons as a starter. Mahomes is on his third in his sixth season.
Even if it is consecrated, it is too premature for debate.
“I’m not even close to the halfway point, so I don’t think about it much,” Mahomes said. “My goal is to be the best player possible. I know I am blessed to be surrounded by great players. Right now I’m doing everything I can to beat a great 49ers team and get that third ring. And if they ask me that question in 15 years, I’ll see if I’m close to seven. But seven is a number that is very far away.”
New chance in Las Vegas:
This is a rematch of the game the Chiefs won four years ago to give head coach Andy Reid his first championship. Niners manager Kyle Shanahan has come close twice, but each time his team squandered large leads.
He was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator when Brady and the Patriots came back from a 28-3 deficit in the second half to win the 2017 Super Bowl. His 49ers led the Chiefs 20-10 to open the fourth quarter, but Mahomes lifted Kansas City to take the 31-20 victory in Miami in 2020.
“Both losses were heartbreaking,” Shanahan said. “Those things linger for a long time. But it’s about trying again, and that’s what I’m excited about.”
Shanahan’s father, Mike, lost two Super Bowls as Denver’s offensive coordinator before going to San Francisco and winning one in 1995. He won two more as the Broncos’ head coach.
“I remember seeing my father after those Super Bowls being the coordinator in Denver when I was young and how it hurt him,” Shanahan mentioned. “Every time you get so close and lose the last one, that’s the hardest.”
Jimmy Garoppolo was the team’s quarterback last time around. Now it’s Purdy’s turn, a finalist for the MVP award who defied everything against him and continues to make his detractors look bad.
Purdy wastes no time trying to cover mouths. He is someone very mature for his 24 years, which allows him to play with poise.
“It’s about doing my job pretty well for three hours against the Kansas City Chiefs defense,” Purdy said.
“That’s my mentality. I want to do everything possible for my team to win. I focus on the plays. “I’m focusing on what we want to do this week, not being distracted by the paparazzi and all the noise outside,” he added.
Source: AP
